Red Wings' Jimmy Howard will be back in net Thursday against the Blues

ST. LOUIS -- Detroit Red Wings goaltender Jimmy Howard will start Thursday in St. Louis, after missing two games with a bruised right knee.

"No pain out there today," Howard said Wednesday, following practice at Scottrade Center. "The only reason I couldn't play Tuesday was I couldn't move. Gave me a couple extra days, continued to do treatment. The swelling is pretty much all gone. It wasn't affecting me at all today."

The club reassigned goalie Thomas McCollum to the Grand Rapids Griffins. Initial x-rays on his injured right small finger showed no break, but general manager Ken Holland said McCollum will have additional x-rays in a day or two when the swelling goes down.

The Red Wings practiced with the same lines they have been using the last couple of games: